


Stumble Over Me Again, My Love

by rufferto



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Magic, Reincarnation, Romance, present day fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 00:39:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4983139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rufferto/pseuds/rufferto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur wanders home one night a week before Samhain and magic happens.</p><p>This was created for  Tavern Tales October Fest<br/>Theme: Fairies, Spells, Dark Nights</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stumble Over Me Again, My Love

Arthur was minding his own business as he stumbled home from the tavern one night during the week leading up to Samhain. His life had been a series of disappointments so far and the most recent one being that a man he’d been interested was getting married to someone else. It was the story of his life, he was always left behind and there was always something missing in his life.

He was sure he heard someone call his name. He stopped abruptly, turned and saw nothing but the windy old suburban street he’d stumbled down. He was staying with a mate of his, man by the name of Leon and Leon liked to live in what Arthur could only describe as Suburban Crawl since all the houses looked alike. There were a lot of streets in London like this with the only difference being that they had varying numbers. He paused and studied the numbers. What was Leon’s address again? Fuck if he could remember just now.

He rubbed his hand over his hair and face and tried to sober himself up.

_“Arrthurrr..”_

The same voice whispered.

It wouldn’t have been so creepy except that it was very late at night, he was drunk and the street was dark. It was also October and there was a light breeze in the air. The breeze lifted scattered leaves and rustled through the cobblestones. He peered at the numbers on the doors again, they were out of focus now. He stumbled over a broken stone and collapsed on his ass.

_“Arrthurrr…”_

It was cold and his bones prickled with it. The voice was familiar and yet….not. He looked around wildly as he tried to connect the sound to something tangible.

There was nothing.

As he regained some control over his senses he realized he had fallen in front of a house with a light on. It was also the only house that had a light on in the whole damn street. Thus it got his attention and he lifted his head to look up at the light in the third floor window. Someone was staring down at him and he was the most beautiful man Arthur had ever seen. He had an ethereal quality to him in spite of his obvious age. He was all pale skin, brilliant eyes the color of a stormy sky and an endearing mess of ebony hair. His lips were a sweet and full and Arthur somehow felt that he knew them.

The front door of the house opened on its own. It was otherwise dark.

The wind rustled about the house, there was no number on it. It was in-between #70 and 74. He needed to remember that, that was important. The first two floors of the house were dark and the man remained at the window.

_“Arrthurr…”_

Arthur found himself standing up, mesmerized and he wasn’t sure what happened next. His feet moved of their own accord and he quietly crept into the house. The house itself was unremarkable, normal decorations and pictures but it was empty otherwise. There was only the odd looking man waiting for him on the third floor. Arthur kept moving up the stairs and he could swear that a cold chill was following him as was the sound of rustling leaves. The light from the third floor was a soft yellow glow that chased away the darkness as he reached the top floor. It seemed to hold it at bay, a vibrant barrier in a shroud of colorless dark. He reached for the door-handle at the top of the stairs and opened it.

The man was waiting for him. He sat at an antique desk and it was then that Arthur noticed the man seemed somewhat out of place. He wore what was likely a Halloween costume from some early university party and his hair was styled in a similar manner.

No words were spoken. The man stood and removed his necktie, then began to undo the buttons of his shirt all while Arthur watched him. He gestured as though Arthur should do the same.

And god help him.

Arthur did. He’d never done anything like this before, never experienced anything like this before, never. But somehow… somewhere he knew this man. He knew him and something primal was making this happen, connecting them. “Who are you?” He demanded hotly.

There was no answer. The middle-aged man stood naked before him and Arthur knew he had seen it all before, had touched and kissed and loved every spot on that beautiful form hundreds of times in the past. Arthur knew him. He finished disrobing and advanced upon the man.

The man held his ground and allowed Arthur to kiss him. It was weird that kiss. It sort of seemed to fill him rather than touch him. He swallowed it and licked it and touched and felt until he couldn’t breathe and was finally released.

When he opened his eyes again he was sitting on the cobblestone pathway towards Leon’s house and the sun was rising. The man was gone and there was no house between number 70 and 74. He rubbed his head and wondered if it had all been a dream.

“You alright there mate?” A dark-haired youth in a hoodie bent down over him. He was immediately familiar except much younger and closer to Arthur’s age than the man on the third floor of the house that was never there.

When Arthur saw him his lips broke out into a wide smile. This man was flesh and blood. “Yeah, rough night. Give us a hand up?”

“I can see that.” The youth laughed. “You look like you could use a coffee, and a shower. I’m Merlin.”

“Arthur.”

“I’m headed to the café, care to join me? I’m buyin’.” Merlin offered with a laughing smile.

And Arthur accepted.

He found out later that there was a house between 70 and 74 about 200 years previous. It had been in Merlin’s family for many years until they sold the land and tore it down.

**FIN**


End file.
